Inactivity
by RebelWriter6561
Summary: Hanna's feeling lifeless, and his partner doesn't know what to do.


~*~I think it must be hard for a character to be abandoned. If a TV show gets cancelled suddenly, or a character gets put on a bus and leaves with no explanation…how do they feel about that? It must seriously suck.  
>This is also a reflection of how we all feel sometimes. When we get stuck in a rut and life doesn't seem to be working right.<br>Musical Muse: Random songs from my playlist  
>Warnings: Holy shit no swears! Wait…<br>Disclaimer: I'm not Tessa, and I seriously miss her.

~*~ Inactivity ~*~

The lack of activity in the apartment was very odd and very disturbing.

James had stepped out to run errands, pick up a few small things from the store, and generally be the most helpful partner and roommate he could. Hanna was sporadic and forgetful on his good days, and there tended not to be certain necessary things in the apartment when they were needed most. Since Quinn had lodged in his apartment, things were cleaner, supplies were where they were supposed to be, and Hanna definitely seemed a lot happier. If the physical evidence wasn't obvious enough, Lamont and even Worth had mentioned off-handedly that Hanna was a lot rowdier than before he met his zombie partner. That, apparently, equated to happiness in Hanna's world.

Usually, the apartment was bright and noisy at all hours of the days and nights, much to the dismay of their equally – hypocritical – neighbors. Hanna blasted whatever music suited his mood, without conforming to any particular style or genre. He was usually a whirlwind of activity amid the sounds and colors, never settling down until he crashed in usual places like the kitchen counter or under the shower head with the steam running full-blast. It was then Aaron's job to fetch his petite partner and put him properly to bed.

But tonight, the lights were off, and the only noise to be heard was the dripping of a tap and the distant shouts of the neighbors. Jessie paused as he entered the room, his finger frozen on the light switch. He rarely needed external lights to see, as the luminescence provided by his eyes was strong enough to read by. At first glance, the room seemed empty, but he finally spotted Hanna in a more-than-usually unusual place.

Hanna had pushed a chair underneath The Tiniest Window That Ever Existed and was peering out it, resting his bare forearms on the tiny ledge beneath. His head was tilted up, looking into the sky that had just begun to produce snow in tiny sparkly flakes, like they were living in the bottom of particularly grimy snow globe. He was wearing his oldest pair of sweatpants and his raggedy and comfiest shirt, and for some reason was missing a sock. The set of his shoulders seemed tired, defeated almost. It was such a startling change to the usually springy frame that a tremor of something akin to worry coated Wayne's limbs as he carefully stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He really didn't want to disturb the rare stillness in the room, but he was concerned for his friend. Something was clearly wrong, and he wanted to help in any way he could, like he always tried.

He moved up behind Hanna and gently placed one gloved hand on his shoulder. He could feel the bones beneath the fabric and skin. The boy was so fragile, such a stark difference compared to Nathan's own thick skin and solid build. He always tried to hide it by showing a dangerous lack of fear, but it was there, right under his skin. Hanna looked away from the window and at his partner over his shoulder. He smiled, but it was smaller than his usual grin, and had none of the brightness. His eyes were sad, something Marty had never seen before. The mad blue light had gone out.

"Hanna? What's wrong?" Concern seeped through his voice, and his flashlight-bright eyes looked over Hanna, trying to see some physical hurt that would cause this behavior. He could fix that, Worth would help, and he wouldn't feel as helpless as he felt at that moment.

Hanna sucked a deep breath, seeming like he wanted to fill all the way to the bottom of his lungs with air. When he let it out, he simply closed his eyes and shook his head. "I'm just…I feel lost right now. Ya know?" Hanna stumbled on without an answer, turning back to look out the tiny window. "It's like there's nothing happening. Like, I know I've got my job and we run around all night but it all feels so _stale_. Like the same stupid thing over and over again! It's like I've been dropped and there's nothing that can pick me up again. I _need _something to happen, something _new_, or else I feel like I'm just gonna…fade away." His voice trailed off, and he stared out the window at the sky again, like he was looking for answers.

Jimmy was frozen. He thought he was worried before, but this was making him positively terrified. Hanna really looked like a puppet whose strings had been cut, hanging limp and lifeless. He was at a total loss about what to do. Somehow, he didn't think hot chocolate could fix this.

He thought he might have an idea of what Hanna was talking about. After ten years of hanging around his own tombstone got dull, he tracked down the name of the piece of paper the wind blew to him. His life had been lovely chaos from then on. But he remembered the staleness, the feeling of not-boredom but pure lifelessness. Those were dark times, before he knew how much of his afterlife he was missing out on. He knew that if he could, he would never go back to that again.

But Hanna wasn't dead, he was alive and active and mostly happy so there really shouldn't be a reason he was feeling like this.

Hanna finally turned away from the window and leaned his back against the wall beneath it. He looked up at his best and closest friend and tried to smile for him. "Don't worry Alejandro. I'll perk up again in a bit. This time of year always makes me feel down." He pushed away from the wall and tipped himself forward, so he was leaning against Teddy. The height difference provided by the chair he stood upon meant his head could perfectly rest on his partner's shoulder. He took another deep breath, not to fill his lungs with new air, but to inhale the smell of outside and detergent and magic that clung to his friend. It wasn't life, but it was what kept Collin alive, so it worked.

Alex placed one hand between Hanna's bird-wing shoulder blades, and let the other weave into the springy orange hairs. He swallowed away his worry and tried focusing on what the future would bring to them. He hoped whatever was holding his friend down would vanish in the night, and restore the spark back into their chaotic and wonderful lives. If it didn't…

…he didn't know what he would do.

~*~ Like you could probably tell, I miss HiNaBN like you cannot believe. And until I get physical written proof from the lady herself, I am never, _ever_ going to stop waiting for the comic to come back. Ever. I'll be some wrinkly old lady in a rocking chair but if there's a new strip I'll jump up and do the boogie, stiff hips be damned!

Review please guys! Sorry if I made anyone depressed.


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